Aaron Harang made sure the third time was the charm against his old mates.
After suffering a loss and a no-decision in his previous starts against the Padres, Harang was masterful in shutting them down, as the Dodgers got the easy win, 8-1. It's their first win in the Matt Kemp DL Era after two straight losses.
There was plenty of run support, as Harang got all he needed in the first. Dee Gordon led off the game with a walk, something he needs to do much more of. An out later, Bobby Abreu lined an RBI triple to make it 1-0. Andre Ethier followed that with an RBI single for a 2-0 edge.
The hits and runs just kept on coming from there. In the third, A.J. Ellis walked and went to second on Tony Gwynn's single. Harang sacrificed them to scoring position, and Gordon scored Ellis on a sac-fly RBI.
Moving ahead to the fifth, Abreu had another good at-bat with a one-out double. Ethier hit one to Cameron "Tiki" Maybin in center, but he misplayed it, and Abreu scored for the 4-0 advantage. It was then pushed to 5-0 on a two-out RBI double from James Loney.
Harang got in on the act in the seventh, and ended a horrific 0-for-42 stretch at the plate himself. Ethier and Adam Kennedy singled with one out. A.J. Ellis hit an RBI single, and it was 6-0. Gywnn was handed the intentional pass to pitch to Harang, who responded with an RBI single of his own for a 7-0 lead.
Both teams traded singled runs in the ninth to close it out. A.J. Ellis had another productive at-bat with an RBI groundout, and Chris Denorfia's RBI single finally got the Padres on the board. Not that it mattered.
The offense was great with 12 hits and 4 walks, but Harang was still the star of the show. He went seven innings for four hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. If you recall, he struck out nine in a row the last time he faced these guys. So, it's safe to say he's more than settled in against his old team.
After taking a loss in Colorado on April 30, Harang has definitely turned things around in his three starts since then. In starts against the Cubs, Rockies, and Padres, he's 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Overall, his ERA has been lowered from 5.72 then to 3.83 now. Granted, he's not exactly facing the stiffest competition, but that's still very good, especially from your #5 starter.
Someone else who was very good was Abreu, as he collected a double and triple with an RBI. After starting the year with the so-called "powerhouse" Angels and hitting only .208, he's now hitting .314 with the better LA team. Injuries have helped him get regular at-bats, and he's responded very well. He still doesn't have a homer, but like Juan Rivera last year, is showing that the veteran guy can be a good source for driving in runs when needed. I like it.
Interleague play is here... but not for the Dodgers. They get the one NL-only matchup, and it's against the World Champion Cardinals. Albert Pujols may be gone, but that's hasn't stopped them from still being atop the NL Central. It'll be a fun three-game set this weekend in Chavez Ravine, that's for sure. Ted Lilly and Lance Lynn will go on Friday, and they're a combined 11-1. Something's gotta give.
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